Experiences in the park
Banff National Park
Want to discover more about the uniqueness of the area’s natural and cultural heritage? Friendly and knowledgeable interpreters are here to share the stories of Parks Canada’s protected places.
Guided hikes and walks
Join Parks Canada interpreters on guided hikes and walks.
Learn more about local species at risk, conservation efforts, and human history. Get an insider’s look at Parks Canada’s ecological restoration projects and find out how you can help.
The Banff Area
Métis Plant Identification Walk
Raven’s Nest Theatre, Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 1
June 29, July 20, and August 17
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Welcome Building at Cave & Basin National Historic Site
June 30, July 21, and August 18
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Enjoy a leisurely walk to identify local plants from an Indigenous perspective. Learn how plants of the Rocky Mountains are used for food and medicine by Alberta’s Métis communities, with stories from a Métis herbalist. The gentle pace of this tour is suitable for most participants and their families. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes.
The Lake Louise Area
A mosaic unveiled!
This spectacular hike starts off with a shuttle ride that will trim the 18 km trail down to a family-friendly 10 km. Start on a wide track through mature forest, crossing several small creeks. Soon the forest opens to reveal high peaks all around, and we enter a basin filled with wildflowers and larch. The hike finishes at Hidden Lake, home to a conservation pilot project to recover threatened westslope cutthroat trout.
Saturdays and Sundays from July 13 to September 22 — 8:00a.m.
Must be booked in advance
Learn more about this experience and book your reservation.
Evening programs
The Banff Area
Evening Programs start June 28!
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 1 – Raven’s Nest Theatre (outdoor)
Thursdays to Tuesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 2 – Wolf’s Den Theatre (indoor)
Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7:30 p.m. to 8:15.pm
A Quagga Carol: An “almost” ghost story
Based on Dickens’ classic, ‘A Christmas Carol’, three ghosts guide a paddleboarder to take action to prevent aquatic invasive species from entering Banff’s waterways.
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 1 - Raven's Nest Theatre
Saturdays (from June 29 to August 31)
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Bat, Batty, Battier: Correcting myth-conceptions about bats
A high-flying adventure about the perils faced by Banff’s Little Brown Bat. Learn the reasons to love this endangered species and learn how you can protect them.
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 1 - Raven's Nest Theatre
Thursdays (from July 4 to August 22)
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 2 – Wolf’s Den Theatre
Fridays from June 28 to August 23
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Bison on the horizon
Parks Canada staff visit Banff’s reintroduced bison herd in the backcountry. Discover why bison are flourishing and what they are teaching us about this special place.
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 2 – Wolf’s Den Theatre
Saturdays (from June 29 to August 31)
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Sundays (from June 30 to September 1)
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Shout Out for Trout!
Join our favourite local trout host as they share current information about aquatic species-at-risk, and learn how you can help support their water-wise friends.
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 2 – Wolf’s Den Theatre
Sundays (from June 30 to August 18)
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Wildlife RULES! - Mountain WIT’s live music show!
Join Parks Canada’s award-winning musical troupe as they share songs and tips about how we can all keep wildlife safe in the park. Sing along, tap your toes, and you might learn something too!
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 1 – Raven’s Nest Theatre
Fridays (from June 28 to August 30)
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Indigenous Voices – Short film series
A selection of short films featuring Indigenous Peoples with past, present, and future connections to the rocky mountains and surrounding areas.
Presented in collaboration with Heritage Programs.
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 1 – Raven’s Nest Theatre
Tuesdays (from July 2 to August 27)
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Wednesdays (from July 3 to August 28)
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Speaker Series: Staying Safe and Having Fun in Bear Country
Join Emma Russell from the Parks Canada Resource Conservation team, as she shares how to recreate safely, respecting wildlife habitat in Banff National Park.
Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 1 – Raven’s Nest Theatre
Wednesday, July 17
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
*Please note, dates and programs may change with little or no notice. Please visit the campground kiosks for the most up-to-date information on theatre programs.
Lake Louise Campground Theatre
Lake Louise Campground, 131 Fairview Drive, Lake Louise
Daily from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Please visit the campground kiosk for the detailed theatre program schedule. Programs only offered in English, but all are welcome. You do not need to be staying in the campground to attend.
2024 shows:
Bear Necessities
Come one, come all for activity night at the campground theatre! Learn about wildlife in the park and how we can keep them and us safe.
The Great Banff Burn Off
Get ready to turn up the heat in The Great Banff Burn Off! Get a taste for the regenerative role of fire in the ecosystem as you compete in three fire creation challenges.
Mussel Invasion
Mussel Monarch and their army are known to be ruthless in their destruction and expensive in their aftermath. It’s up to us humans to protect waterways from invasive mussels, both in Banff National Park and beyond.
The Pride of the Parks: Return of the Keystones
Come along on an adventure to meet some of Banff’s keystone species, and learn how you can help them return to their homelands and restore balance to the ecosystems!
Interpreters in the wild
Connect with Parks Canada interpreters at busy day-use areas and trails around Banff National Park.
Discover and experience what makes Banff National Park so special, through drop-in activities about human-wildlife coexistence, aquatic invasive species, prescribed fire, and species at risk.
Pop-up Programs include:
Peaks and Pines
Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk
Join Parks Canada interpreters at the top of Sulphur Mountain for a drop-in program where you can see the endangered Whitebark Pine in real life! Learn about its unique role in the ecosystem and why this special tree is endangered.
Cool, Clean, and Connected: Bringing Life back to Cascade ponds
Cascade Ponds Day-Use Area
Get your hands wet as Park Interpreters share the story of Cascade Creek. Learn about what makes great trout habitat, identify aquatic insects from the creek, and how you can ‘leave no trace’ at Cascade Ponds. Please wear weather appropriate clothing.
Mountain World Heritage Interpretive Theatre
Parks Canada’s award-winning interpretive theatre troupe! Mountain WHIT makes the stories of Banff National Park come to life with hilarious sketches, catchy songs, fascinating stories, clever puppet shows, and interactive exhibits!
Pop-Up Puppet Theatre
Corner of Banff Avenue and Buffalo Street, at the Banff Park Museum
Saturdays starting at 1:30 p.m.
Shows are on the hour and the half-hour.
The last performance of the day is at 4:00 p.m.
Shows include:
A Beary, Berry Good Day – a 10 minute storybook puppet show about a little grizzly bear, Ursa and her adventures in Banff National Park.
Fish Wish You’d Swish – a 15 minute puppet show about keeping park waters healthy.
You can also win prizes at Wildlife Rules Trivia, make your own wildlife mask, and purchase a copy of the “A Beary, Berry Good Day” storybook!
Free with national park entry fee
Wildlife RULES! Mountain WIT’s live music show!
Free with national park entry fee
Fridays, starting June 28
7:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Raven’s Nest Theatre, Tunnel Mountain Village 1 Campground
Join the Friday night nature party with Parks Canada’s theatre troupe, Mountain WIT, singing new favourite songs from their award-winning recording, Wildlife Rules.
Find a sneak peek here: https://parks.canada.ca/banff-music
Living With Wildlife Interpreters
These specialized interpreters are here to help you have safe experiences in our parks. Discover more about how we can keep wildlife wild and give them the space they need to survive.
Living With Wildlife Interpreters can be found at busy trail heads, day use areas and on the road, patrolling for wildlife jams.
Pop-up programs include:
Bear Aware in Banff National Park
Stewart Canyon Trailhead at Lake Minnewanka
Join Living With Wildlife interpreters to learn all about Banff’s bears and how to stay safe while exploring Banff National Park. Share your experiences, learn how to use bear spray, and discover how these incredible animals live. This program is suitable for all ages.
Learn more about wildlife safety!
Indigenous-led programs
The lands and waters of Banff National Park have been used for millennia by Indigenous Peoples for sustenance, ceremony, trade, and travel. Parks Canada is working with Indigenous groups to include authentic presentations and share Indigenous histories and cultures within the park.
See below for upcoming Indigenous-led interpretive events.
The Banff Area
Métis Plant Identification Walk
Raven’s Nest Theatre, Tunnel Mountain Campground Village 1
June 29, July 20, and August 17
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Welcome Building at Cave & Basin National Historic Site
June 30, July 21, and August 18
1:00p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Enjoy a leisurely walk to identify local plants from an Indigenous perspective. Learn how plants of the Rocky Mountains are used for food and medicine by Alberta’s Métis communities, with stories from a Métis herbalist. The gentle pace of this tour is suitable for most participants and their families. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes.
Blackfoot Medicine Speaks
Central Park Gazebo, Buffalo Street
July 16 and 17
Performances at 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Celebrate Blackfoot culture with traditional drumming, dancing and storytelling.
Watâga dancers and singers
Central Park Gazebo, Buffalo Street
July 11 and August 8
Performance at 3:00 p.m.
Celebrate Îyârhe Nakoda culture with singing, drumming, and dancing.
Indigenous Voices
Pool Deck, Cave and Basin National Historic Site
Daily, May 15 to October 15
9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
This summer, Cave and Basin National Historic Site presents programs that celebrate “Indigenous Voices” from communities with traditional and contemporary ties to Banff and the greater Bow Valley Region.
Cave and Basin lies within the traditional territories of many Indigenous Nations, including Îyârhe Nakoda (Chiniki, Goodstoney and Bearspaw), Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Tsuut’ina, Ktunaxa, Secwépemc and Métis.
Parks Canada is honoured to present this collection of Indigenous-led exhibits and projects, featuring artists, Elders, Knowledge Keepers and other esteemed voices from these vibrant Indigenous communities.
Lake Louise Area
Join us for Indigenous-led programs in Lake Louise!
This summer, the member Nations of the Indigenous Advisory Circle for Banff National Park will present stories, culture, and history through interpretation programs in Lake Louise. Programs will include traditional dance lessons and demonstrations, tipi raising, cultural crafts, language lessons, music, drumming, and storytelling.
Events are free with a national park entry pass. More details will be added once they are available. Events and times are subject to change.
Indigenous-led Interpretation Event Schedule 2024
Saturday, June 29
Date and Time: Saturday, June 29 — 10 am to 12 pm
Location: Lake Louise Lakeshore (Learn more about visiting the Lakeshore)
Presented by: Kainai Nation
Events: Niitsitapi dance performance with Theron and Cindy Black.
Friday, July 5 to Sunday, July 7
Date and Time: Friday, July 5 to Sunday, July 7 — 9 am to 4 pm
Location: Lake Louise Lakeshore (Learn more about visiting the Lakeshore)
Presented by: Métis Nation
Events: Trappers tent set-up and history, storytelling, fiddling and jigging, finger weaving, fish scale art, Métis medicine teachings, Michif lessons, lessons on the Red River Cart, lessons on the birch bark canoe, pemmican making, hide tanning, medicine tea making, tufting demonstration.
Date and Time: Saturday, July 6 — 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Location: Lake Louise Campground Theatre — 131 Fairview Drive, Lake Louise
This program is open to anyone and you don’t need to be staying in the campground to attend.
Presented by: Métis Nation
Events: Alex Kusturok, Métis fiddler, will be playing from his new album, Wedged in Tradition, with guitarist Eric Provencher.
Tuesday, July 16 to Wednesday, July 17
Date and Time: Tuesday, July 16 to Wednesday, July 17 — Times to be confirmed.
Location: Lake Louise Lakeshore (Learn more about visiting the Lakeshore)
Presented by: Tsuut’ina Nation
Events: Dance demonstrations, storytelling, and hand-games.
Wednesday, July 24
Date and Time: Wednesday, July 24 — Times to be confirmed.
Location: Lake Louise Lakeshore (Learn more about visiting the Lakeshore)
Presented by: Piikani Nation
Events: Details will be added once they are available.
Tuesday, July 30 to Thursday, August 1
Date and Time: Tuesday, July 30 to Thursday, August 1 — Times to be confirmed.
Location: Lake Louise Lakeshore (Learn more about visiting the Lakeshore)
Presented by: Siksika Nation
Events: Tipi-raising, storytelling, and dance demonstrations.
Tuesday, August 13 to Thursday, August 15
Date and Time: Tuesday, August 13 to Thursday, August 15 — Times to be confirmed.
Location: Lake Louise Lakeshore (Learn more about visiting the Lakeshore)
Presented by: Piikani Nation
Events: Details will be added once they are available.
Saturday, August 24 to Sunday, August 25
Date and Time: Saturday, August 24 to Sunday, August 25 — Times to be confirmed.
Location: Lake Louise Sport and Recreation Centre — 103 Village Road, Lake Louise
Presented by: Bearspaw Nation
Events: Details will be added once they are available.
Date and Time: Saturday, August 24 to Sunday, August 25 — Times to be confirmed.
Location: Lake Louise Sport and Recreation Centre — 103 Village Road, Lake Louise
Presented by: Chiniki Nation
Events: Details will be added once they are available.
Date and Time: Saturday, August 24 to Sunday, August 25 — Times to be confirmed.
Location: Lake Louise Sport and Recreation Centre — 103 Village Road, Lake Louise
Presented by: Goodstoney Nation
Events: Details will be added once they are available.
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